Good causes in need of money in the 10 parishes area (Ashbrittle, Bathealton, Brompton Ralph, Chipstable, Clatworthy, Fitzhead, Huish Champflower, Milverton, Stawley and Wiveliscombe) can now apply for assistance from the Brendon Energy 10 parishes Community Fund. The application form is really simple with red tape notable by its absence. There are rules about what can be funded. The applications are put to the vote of Brendon Energy members at the AGM.

The closing date for applications is the 21st of October so put aside 10 minutes and fill in the application form!

The members voted to back the following projects at the AGM with the funding available in the 10 Parishes Community Fund;

• £250 to SolidariTea for future work in northern France
• £500 for Brompton Ralph Cricket Club towards new practice nets
• £1,250 to Wivey Action on Climate for public electric vehicle charging points
• £500 for Wivey Community Centre towards new LED lighting

All worthy winners!

A very successful hydro open day was held in Tiverton on the 21st of January. Over 80 people attended the event which publicised the Bolham hydro project to local people. 64 feedback forms were filled in, of which 61 were in favour of the scheme and the remainder uncertain.

Brendon Energy is applying for permissions for a hydropower scheme on the River Exe,  projected to generate 450,000kWh of electricity each year, saving 240 tonnes of CO2 yearly. Financial projections indicate the project will generate a substantial annual Community Fund over the 20 years of the project. The scheme features a ‘fish friendly’ Archimedes screw turbine.

We will be holding a drop-in community engagement event in Tiverton in the New Year, and we would love to have your support! Please come along to Tiverton Town Hall, St Andrew Street, EX16 6PG on Saturday 21st January. We will be there from 2-5pm answering your questions, showing plans and photos, and offering tea, coffee and cake!

River Exe

As the time for the AGM approaches we are once again looking for worthy causes to benefit from the 10 Parishes Community Fund. This years fund will be £2,500 funded by the solar power plants on the community buildings in Wiveliscombe. As well as good causes of benefit to the local community in the 10 parishes area, previous distributions have seen a proportion of the money go on good causes abroad. The distribution will be decided by a vote of BE members at the AGM. If you would like to submit a proposal please fill in and return this form by the 30th of September.

Brendon Energy continues to install new renewable electricity power stations as part of our local contribution to the fight against climate change. Two new roof mounted solar arrays have been successfully installed on two local schools – Somerset Bridge Primary School in Bridgwater and Court Fields School in Wellington.

These 30kW and 40 kW schemes will help to reduce the school electricity bills and will also generate income for local community funds.

courtfields

Somerset Bridge panels

Amidst all the doom and gloom stories about the terrible impact that the government policies are having on the renewables sector this year, it is worth remembering that BE is part of a big energy co-op family. In the UK there are 224 renewable energy co-ops with 16,880 members and an annual turnover of £8.9 million (figures from Cooperatives UK). These figures are dwarfed by the scale of energy co-ops in many other places such as Scandinavia and Germany where the governments are more supportive. They show what can be achieved – perhaps one area where we would benefit from being more European in our outlook?